Journal box



March 26, 1929. D. s. BARRows JOURNAL BOX Filed 001;. 50, 1924 2Sheets-Sheet 1 March 26, 1929.

D. s. B'ARROWS JOURNAL BOX Filed Oct. 50, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet PatentedMar. 26, 1929.

UNITED "STATES.

PATENT OFFICE.

DONALD s. minnows, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK; Assre vo-n, BY MESNE ASSIGN-MENTS TO THE SYMINGTON COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MARYLAND.

- JOURNAL Box.

Application filedOctober 30, 1924. Serial No. .746,796.

ing a pressed. metal member adapted to close the journal box opening, aspring member pivotally supported the hinge pintle,,an d a leverconstruction. cooperating with the closure member and'spring to providemeans for maintaining the said closure member in open or closedposition. v g A still further object of the invention is to provide asimple lid construction, a torsion spring mechanism, and a levermechanism adapted to engage the lid and box at opposite ends and tocoact with the torsion spring to provide means for maintaining the lidin open or closed position.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in combinationwith a simple-fiat lid, a spring mechanism carried by the journ al boxhinge lug and a lever mechanism operatively interposed between the lidand journal box and adapted to energize said spring, said lever beingprovided with a hood or cover overlying the intersection of the hingelug and lid so as to afford protection at these lines of intersectionagainst the entry/of water, dirt, etc., into the said journalibox.

To these and other ends, the invention con.- sists of the variouselements and combinations of elements asv hereinafter set forth.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front el'evational view .of a,

I portion of the lid and associated journal box;

Figure 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on thelongitudinal center line of the box, only a portion of the journal boxbeing illilstrated. 1 f

Figure 3 is a top plan View of the construction shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a view similarto Figure 1 showing a modified form of lever.

Figure 5 is a central vert cal sectional view of the construction shownin Figure 4.

construction havingon its upper surface? and adjacent the forward edgethereof, a hlnge lug 3 which is perforated, as at 4, for

the passageof the hinge bolt or pintle 5,'s aid lug being provided atthe front and top with flat faces (3 and-7, respectively, forcooperation with a portion carried by the lid to maintain the lid inclosed and open positions.

Pivotally connected to the hinge pintle 5, preferably by means of earsor loops 8, and

adapted to cover the openin'g9 in the front face of the journal box, isthe cover or lid 10 which may be, and preferably is, formed from pressedmetal, the ears 8 being conveniently formed by bending portions of thelid 10 to form loops surrounding the hinge pintle. Adjacent the hingelug 3 thelid 10 is cut away, as at 11, the cut-away portion being-0fslightly greater width than-the total width of the hinge lug 3 for apurpose to behereinafter described. The cut-away portion 11 doesnot-Iextend below the base of the hinge lug, as clearly shown inFigureQ, so that there is no opening into the ournal box which is notclosed by the lid 10 in closedpositionl,

1 Pivotallyq mounted upon. the hinge pintle 5, preferably by having loopportions 12, is

when the latter is a torsion spring 13 having a pair of coils 14, v

the inner ends of said coils being connected by a straight portion 15 0fsaid spring. It will be observed that the, spring 13 thuscom- I prisesloop portions 12 which engage with the hinge pintle 5 upon oppositesides of the hinge h1g3, andcoil portions 14 which are connected attheir. adjacent ends by an integral portion15 of said spring. 13 doesnot engage the lid and, as before nism of general cruci-form shape. Thislever 16 is provided with a bearing face 17 which is- The spring stated,'pivotally mounted on the hinge adaptedto engage theifaces 6 0r 7 of thehinge lug and at its opposite ends it is provided with a bearing portion18 of general spherical form which 1s adapted to ht within acorrespondlngly formed recess 19 1n the exterior face of the lid 10.Overlying the portion of the lever v to receive the coils 1 1 from thespring 13 and intermediate the portions 21 there is formed on the levera curved seat portion 22' which is adapted to receive and coact with thestraight portion 15 of thespring 13. Preterably, the lever 16 isprovided with a plurality of strengthening ribs 223 connecting theexterior ol the curved portions 21 with the outer face of thebearingportion 17 and similarly the lever may be provided with a centrallydisposed reinforcing or strengthening rib 2 .1; extending downwardlyfrom the shoulder 22 to and beyond the bearing portion 18. On theinterior of the curved faces 21 there are provided curved bearin gportions 25 which, when their parts are assembled, as hereinafter noted,engage the outer adjacent portions of the coils 1 1.. The distance fromthe straight portion 15 of the spring 13 to the center ot the hingepintle 5 is less than the distance from the seat of the lever 16 to thecenter oi the hinge pintle. It therefore follows that when the parts areassembled by sliding the lever 16 downwardly between the spring and thelid 10, that to permit the parts tobe assembled the coil portions lt ofthe spring 13 are placed under tension which. is only partially relievedby the entry of the portion 15. of the spring into the seat 22. Thistension in the spring 13 reacts against the bearing portions 17, and 18of the said lever 16 and causes the bearing portion 18 to force the lid10 firmly against the walls surrounding the opening 9 in the journalbox. As this pressure is central on the lid and since the ears 8 ot thelid are of greater size than the diameter of the hinge pintle 5 itnecessarily follows that the lid 10 is adapted to have a limitedmovement so as to compensate for any irregularity in the surface of thewalls surrounding the journal box opening.

In Figures 4 5 and 6 theconstruction of the lid 10, the spring 18, andthe manner in which the lid and spring are connected to the hinge 5 isidentical with that illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3-. In thisconstruction, however, the lever 16 instead oi? being of generalcruciform shape is preferably substantially T-shaped, the side portionsor arms 26 of the lever not only extending over the coil p ortions 14t1tof the spring 13 but extending upwardly and then inwardly so as topartials ly embrace the hinge lug 3 of the journal box, as clearly shownat 27 in Figure 5. By th s construction the exposed port-ion of the 11d10 along the outer face of the hinge lug 3 is housed over so that theentry of dirt and incisture is partially, if not entirely, eliminated.The lower end of the lever 16 is pro 'ided with a pair of lateral ribs24; instead of a single centrally arranged rib 241-, as in the precedingfigures. Except as above noted, the construction oi Figures 4 to 6 isidentical with the construction of Figures 1 to 3.

The operation of the device is as iollovsi When the lid raised, that ismoved on the hinge pintle' 5, the bearing portion 17 of the lever 16slides upon the face 6 until the lid and lever are raised to such aposition that the bearing portion 17 slides upon and engages the face 7of the hinge'lug whereupon the tension on the spring 13' will maintainthe lid in open position until such tim'eas it is forcibly returned'toclosed position.

It will be observed that the lid construction hereinbefore described andillustrated comprises but three parts of simple construction but ofcertain and efiicient operation.

Having now described my invention, what I claim is: i

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with ajournal box having a hinge lug thereon, of a lid pivotally con nectedthereto, a spring member carried by said jini'rn'al box, and: a leverinterposed between said box and lid and" engaging them adjacent itsends, said lever being adapted to energize saidspring by sliding inplace between said spring and lid.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination" with ajournal box having a hinge lug thereon, of a lid pivotally connectedthereto, a spring member pivotally connected to said journal box, and alever interposed for transmitting force between said box and lid, saidlever being adapted for insertion between the spring and lid, with oneend engaging said box, to energize said spring.

3, In a device of the character described, the combination with ajournal box having a hinge lug thereon, of a lid pivotally connectedthereto, a torsion spring'pivotally mounted on saidjournal box, and alever enlid, said lever'being adapted to contact oneor the other of thefaces ofsaid hinge lug and lid at its opposite ends to hold the lid inopen or closed position, and formed with portions nected directlythereto, saidlid having a depressed portion on the outer surfacethereof,

a spring carried by said journal box and in- 7 dependent of said lid,and a lever interposed" between said box and spring, said lever having aconvex bearing portion engaging the depressed portion of said lid.

6. In a device of the character described,

the combination with a journal boxhaving a hinge lug thereon, ot' alidpivotally con nected to said box by a hinge pintle, a springi'i'ieniberpivotally n'iountedon said pintle, and a lever engaging saidlid and box at opposite ends, said lever being adapted to energize saidspring by being slipped in place between said lidand spring.

In a device of the character described, the combination witha journalbox having a hinge lug thereon, of a lid 'pivotally connected to saidbox by a hinge pintle, a torsion spring member pivotally mounted on saidpintle, and a lever engaging said lid andbox at opposite ends, saidlever being adapted to energize said spring and being provided with aportion partially embracing said hinge lug.

8. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug thereon withangularly disposed bearing faces, of a lid therefor, a pintle extendingthrough sa d hinge lug, said lid comprising a plate member hingedlymounted on said pintle, a spring member pivotally mounted on saidpintle, and a lever arranged exteriorly of said plate member andengaging said plate and one of the bearing faces of the hinge lugatopposite ends to hold the lid in either open or. closed position, saidlever having spring seat portion thereon adapted to releasably engagesaid spring.

- 9. The combination with a journal box having a hinge lug thereon withangularly disposed bearing faces, of a lid completely closing saidjournal box opening, a hinge I pintle for pivotally connecting said lidand lug, a torsion spring member pivotally mounted on said pintle, and alever contacting said lid and one of the faces of the lug at oppositeends to hold the lid in open orclosed position, and means foroperatively connecting said spring and lever.

10'. The combination with a ournal box having a hinge lug thereon withupper and outer faces, of a lid' therefor, said lid comprising a platemember completely closing said journal box opening, a pintle forpivotally connecting said lid and lug, a lever connected to said lid atone end and engaging one of the faces of: said lug at the opposite endto hold the lid in open or closed position, said lever having portionsoverlying the upper vface of said lug when the lid is closed, a torsionspring member embracing said lever and pivotally mounted on said pintle,and means for releasably connecting said'lever and spring.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

DONALD s. BARROWS.

